Show STORIES mRlE- mRlE OF GERMAN GEAMAN ATROCITIES NOT PROVED PHONED SAYS AMERICAN WAITER r The Chicago Tribune prints a lon long ions copyrighted dispatch from James ODonnell O'Donnell Bennett staff correspondent dated at la Chape a e Germany I i which In specific detail disputes and anc denies the charges of cruelties anc and atrocities lodged against the Germans i in Belgium Air Mr Bennett Dennett In company with John T. T McCutcheon of the Chicago Chica Chica- go Tribune Irvin S 8 S. Cobb of the Saturday Saturday Sat Sat- Evening Post Roger Lewis of ol the Associated Press and Harr Harry Han sea sen of the Chicago Dally Daily News traveled traveled traveled trav trav- miles through 20 towns towns' townsand and their observations lead him to the firm conviction con that the reports of barbarities barbarities bar bar- alleged to have haye been perpetrated perpetrated perpetrated by German troops are false false- hoods The following dispatch to the Associated Associated Asso Asso- elated Press evidently forwarded by Roger Le Lewis Levis vIs is in substantial agreement agreement agreement agree agree- ment with Mr Bennetts Bennett's story In the th Chicago Tribune By the Associated Press New York An An Associated Press staff taff correspondent of American birth and antecedents who was sent from Irons the New York office and was caught in Brussels at the time of the German German German Ger Ger- man Invasion In held as a prisoner for several days and who finally escaped to Holland has sent by man mall the following following fol tol- fol- fol lowing story of his experiences The night before the Germans entered entered entered en en- Brussels when the Belgian civil guards and refugees began pouring into the city from the direction of Lou Louvain they brought stories of un un- i German atrocities maltreatment maltreatment maltreatment maltreat maltreat- ment of old men and children and the violation of women The Belgian capital reeled with ap ap- Within an n hour ilOur hour the gayety gayety gay gay- ety the vivacity and brilliancy of the city went out like a broken arc light tight The radiance of the cafes was exchanged exchanged exchanged ex ex- ex- ex changed for darkness whispering groups of residents broke up hurriedly hurriedly hurried hurried- ly and locked themselves into this homes where they put up the shutters shutters shut shut- and drew in their tri colored Belgian Belgian Belgian Bel Bel- gian flags Fears of Brussels Quieted The historic Belgian city went through a state of morbid consternation tion lion remarkably like that from which U H suffered on June 18 1815 when it trembled with the fear of a vic tory at Waterloo In In less than 24 hours the Belgian citizens were chatting comfortably with the German invaders and the allegations allegations allegations al al- legations of German brutality and demoniacal de de- torture dissolved Into one of the myths which have accompanied all wars Neither In Brussels nor In n Its environs environs environs en en- was a single offensive act so far tar as I know committed by a German soldier In a city of over half halt a million mil mu- lion people Invaded by a hostile army of perhaps a quarter of a million soldiers sol sol- filers diers no act sufficiently flagrant to demand punishment or to awaken protest protest pro pro- test eat came to m my attention None Knows of Outrages The frightful reports that had prece preceded preceded pre pre- ce ceded ed the German army Into Brussels Included the disemboweling of old men and the impaling Children of ot hIldren on lances Just x Investigation not only faed to substantiate these rumors but could not even discover any anyone one in the immediate vicinity who credited themAn themAn themAn them An eye witness of unimpeachable veracity told me that the tho worst behavior behavior behavior be be- havior he had observed during the first German entry into Louvain August 19 was that of a German soldier who leaned from his horse and kissed a pretty Flemish girl who brought him hima a a glass of beerI beer I l marched for tor days with the German German German Ger Ger- da day behind behind be be- man columns often orten only one hind bind the fighting with the hous houses s that had been burned still smoldering the ground freshly broken by shell and trampled by horses and men and the memory of the German advance vivid In the minds of or the inhabitants No Proofs of Murder 1 I interviewed an average of ot twenty persons in each of a dozen towns and found only one Instance of a noncombatant noncom noncom- noncombatant who had been killed without a 8 JusUfi Justifiable ble provocation In this case I the evidence did not clearly prove that the man had been wantonly murdered He fie lived In one of the typical small Belgian countryside houses which combine combine com com- bine the comforts of home with the lure of a small public bar This house was at the north of le Chateau le a town through which a large part of the German arm army passed on the road to Maubeuge A son of ot the murdered man whose name was Arthur NIcodem showed me blood clots dots on the floor marking the Place where NIcodem fell his throat cut by a saw edged German saber English Fired From HouseH House H It 11 was Vu said by some Inhabitants that the murdered man showed a B pair of binoculars but a B more probable explanation Is that English outposts had bad concealed themselves In the house from which they poured a rain of tIre fire upon the first German invaders The Inference that th the shooting was done by Belgian civilians may have ha ve Inflamed inflamed In In- flamed the Germans to reprisals In In that neighborhood four houses had been burned and one ono was still ablaze as I passed on Wednesday Aug 26 26 This town of Chateau le le Chateau which had been the scene of an unimportant unimportant unimportant skirmish between the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans and English on the previous Sunday was riddled with rifle shots The small number of windows ys Intact showed that the Germans had made a deliberate assault upon the residents of the town But Dut the inhabitants themselves admitted that all of the shooting had been done by a com corn comparatively comparatively small number of Germans and that the firing tiring had not been begun begun begun be be- gun until English soldiers who had concealed themselves In the houses had fired first upon the Germans News of Incident Goes FarI FarI Far I I have emphasized the one fatality of the noncombatant because the news of it traveled up and down the and across to Hantes Hantes and sur Solre-sur-Sambre sur multiplying asit as asIt It Jt went and developing ghastly and inhuman Inhuman Inhuman In In- human details until It seemed an unanswerable unanswerable unanswerable un un- answerable reproach to the whole German empire With this one possible exception I Idid Idid Idid did not encounter In Nivelles In Blnche Buissiere or Sam sur sur Sam Sam- bre or any of the other towns I visited a single Incident of mistreatment mistreatment mistreatment mistreat mistreat- ment or any sort b by German officers or soldiers particularly particularly the lower part of the city had city had been virtually destroyed b by a cross fire from French and German artillery Tops of breweries breweries breweries brew brew- eries had been hurled bodily to the ground and walls had either disappeared disappeared disappeared or become grotesquely dis dis- lodged Burgomaster Denies Reports Into this town French killed and more than a hundred wounded were brought In a single day August August Au Au- gust burgomaster said that he knew of ot no cases of German cruelties cruelties cruelties cruel cruel- ties except distant rumors which he had learned to discredit It ought to tobe tobe tobe be said to the credit of the Belgians that they have hue not allowed their thel bitterness bitterness bitterness bit bit- toward the Germans to carr carry them Into unfair recrimination Robert J J. J Thompson American consul at Aachen visited Liege during and after the capture of the forts Itis It Itis Itis is the opinion of Mr Thompson that no outrage was committed by Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans during the several days' days fighting there There are of course reported outrages outrages outrages out out- rages beyond Investigation either on account of their vagueness or because It Is Impossible to weigh the tion It is known for Instance that natives s were killed in not far from Ardennes German soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers say that they were killed because because because be be- cause they fired upon them from Crom the roofs and windows of the houses Differ on Louvain Incident The history of the absolute destruction destruction destruction de de- of the historic city of Louvain Lou Lou- vain aln with its cathedral and It its ito university university university sity is Iby this time well known The German version of this Is that the inhabitants inhabitants in in- habitants under the direction of oC the burgomaster established themselves In the church where they also Installed Installed metalled In m- stalled a machine gun They proceeded proceed ed to greet the Germans with a deadly fire The Belgians say on the other hand that part of the German army mistaking g one of their own retiring divisions divisions divisions di di- visions for the enemy opened fire upon them whereupon deluded into thinking this an assault by Belgian civilians the Germans razed the city I have not been able to acquire any direct evidence In regard to these last two Instances but th the explanation generally generall generally gen gen- credited by disinterested persons persons persons per per- sons is that the Belgians who had laid down their arms according to the burgomasters burgomaster's burgomasters burgomaster's burgomasters burgomaster's bur bur- proclamation on the entrance entrance entrance en en- trance of the enemy took them up again when it looked as if the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans were retreating from Crom the town and opened fire from their windows upon a retiring German train Tells Outrages The Tine most authoritative German denial denial denial de de- nial of German offense comes from MaJ Gen Thaddeus von military governor of oC Brussels who Informed Informed informed In In- formed me that In numerous cases he be had been received with a pretense of friendliness by Belgian civilians who later Inter fired upon the German soldiers from windows and from between the roof tiles Wes This was done he said after aCter a declaration of surrender by the burgomaster and a proclamation warning warning warn warn- ing the citizens against any show of resistance rules of In such violations of the war the general said he punished the offender by burning the houses from which the shots were fired tired I can only say that in every case of reported outrage or reprisal which was susceptible of investigation I have hav found either that the outrage was t s a figment of the Belgian mind or that thai it was more ore than half excused by clr car The prevalence of the Belgian tics of sniping from the houses was wai perhaps Indicated by the warning of ol the German officer who acted as RS guard for five American correspondents In eluding myself who w were re being taken taker as prisoners from Beaumont to W Aachen In an army train w were advised to tolie tolie lie He down on the floor noor of the car as the Belgian snipers would shoot at us from the houses But there was no firing This of course is not a brief for foi forthe the German army It tt t Is an account ol of German conduct as it appeared to an impartial observer who had the rather extraordinary opportunity of traveling for days with the German columns columna over a distance of more than a hundred hun hundred dred miles through h a dozen important cities and towns Sometimes 1 I was RS near enough to the front to see the white artillery smoke spurt Into clouds along the horizon and hear heat the tho double detonations detonations detona detona- which came from artillery at short range At other times I trailed behind through the desolate waste which a victorious army amy leaves behind behind behind be be- hind It Pay All and Tip WellOn Well WellOn On the contrary I 1 witnessed numerous numerous numerous nu nu- cases of the most m care careful CuI courtesy courtesy courtesy cour cour- tesy on the part of German soldiers In Brussels they the riot not only paid their cafe caCe bills but tipped generously Along the road when a German officer or soldier entered a Belgian house for Cor food or shelter it was as not with a domand demand do- do domand mand but a request In spite of the confusion and errors which arose from Crom froma Croma a strange tongue there was almost no friction of any sort The German soldiers were punctilIously punctiliously punctiliously considerate and polite to women women wom worn e en and children apologizing for Cor the discomfort they were causing Upon leaving a house where the they have hare been boon given shelter I f have seen them shake slinks hands bands with the concierge peasant woman or In some cases Vo with fth th the gentlewoman of oC a Belgian villa as pleasantly as if It they were bid bidding din I adieu to their hostess at a end weekend house party So many Instances of this sort areat areat are areat at hand that a recital of them would be tedious Naturally Inclined to tobe be gruff with their soldiers the G German officers always always always al al- ways gave the French prisoners a pleasant word and treated them with every consideration Not a single exception exception exception ex ex- to this civility toward prisoners prison prison- ers has come to my attention A French lieutenant and two English Eng lish officers traveled with us in the prison train from Beaumont to Aachen a halting journey which took over thirty six hours The train was crowded with German wounded and French and English prisoners and there was nothing to eat or drink except a few Cew fragments of rye bread hard as a stone and a little liquid compound of oC chicory which in Belgium Belgium Bel Bel- gium glum masquerades under the name of coffee Since there was not enough even of oC this disheartening fare to go around German officers went without food so so s that the prisoners might be fed Aid Owners of Cafe In ja a little cafe paCe In hi Beaumont concierge con con- concierge and madame had fled ed before the approach of the soldiers and abandoned abandoned abandoned aban aban- their business Two officers found i them in hiding brought them back and In a da day the they had taken In more more money than In any previous week fn In n their career These Incidents could be Indefinitely Indefinite Indefinite- ly prolonged but they would only offer of of- for fer additional support to a point that I think I have already established established- the universal kindliness of German Germa GermanI soldiers as I have observed themI them I have seen se-en perhaps halt half a dozen cases of drunkenness in observing nearly nearh soldiers and these few were Vere only good maullin maud maul lin Iq Beaumont while I was detained l for 24 hours In the small cafe caCe previously pre pre- mentioned with an armed guard at the door although ly told that I Ivas was vas not an ordinary prisoner ner a swaggering petty officer of some sort lunged toward me and showed me the sharp convincing edge of oC hiS 1 sword Insisting that I run my ray It hand cross Warned to to Avoid Drinking Ge German Getman man discipline and nd German training g seem to h have ve put Into the German n soldier an exemplary b behavior which Is nothing less l sJ than remarkable le Before I fell asleep on the floor of the Beau Beaumont ont cafe caCe with two German soldiers soldiers' sol sol- diers' diers guns slanting almost over ver me lIe meI I heard head hea d the th petty officer r who was In of C u us giving instructions to the guards |